So DH calls last night and we have a lovely chitchat. I think I've explained it, but to summarize - his career requiers a schedule of week on/week off in which he lives away and is unable to come home. So he will call between jobs when he is able. I always try to keep the conversations happy because, honestly, I miss him, and it's not like there's much he can do from a tugboat :-) A week isn't that long but it is tough being alone half the darned time.

So anywho, I hadn't spoken to him in a few days and we have a lovely chitchat. We get off the phone and he calls back ten or so minutes later and had spoken to his mother... about the stroller. (And, yes, we seriously say the honey/darling thing when there is something that is a bit peeving, because it tends to keep it light, calm our tone, and slow our speech, I don't know how, but try it, it works!)

"Honey, MIL said that she looked at the stroller combo she bought us and it doesn't have a carseat base for the carrier""Darling, then it isn't the right one.""She said it is, but it doesn't have a base.""The one I registered for has three parts - the stroller, the carrier, and one carseat base. I don't know what to tell you,""She didn't buy it off the registry""Exactly.""Well, she wanted me to let you know that she saw it didn't have a base and she is going to return it and get the one with the base""She can do whatever she wants. If she wouldn't have made it difficult to begin with we wouldn't be having this conversation""Yea, she said she would get the one off your registry""Darling""Yes Honey?""I really don't care what she decides to do. I registered for the one I want. If she gives me the wrong one I will simply figure it out later and get the combo I registered for.""Well, she said she'd buy it off the registry""That's another interesting thing. Since all of you insisted it be taken it off the registry, I don't know if it will show up""Well maybe you can...""Darling""Yes Honey?""Let me rephrase - I don't give a shit what your mother decides to do, I am not going to worry about it, and I do not want to discuss it any further. I am not going to concern myself with her making things difficult. I will deal with fixing it later myself if that's what I need to do.""Honey?""Yes Darling?""I freaking love you"

The part that DH does NOT know is that my friends throwing a baby shower next week told me that they pooled and bought me the stroller combo on the registry because the entire MIL thing was stressing me and they didn't want me stressing any further. I will tell DH this when he gets off of work, but didn't feel like explaining it on the phone. My amazing friends are also going to just leave it in the back room so MIL doesn't get any ammunition in case she actually shows up with combo. If she doesn't show up with a combo, they may bring it out and give it to me to shut her down, but that's TBD, mostly based on her behavior.

What's REALLY funny is that my friends forgot to have the registry scanned when they bought it - so we had to change the status online - and had a great laugh about it, all things considered!

So, MIL probably bought one online somewhere that isn't the same. I don't know of ANY combo that doesn't have a base to make the carrier a carseat - there is no telling what ridiculous bs she tried to pull, but apparently caught herself. Long and short of it is that I am not going to talk about her giving us something any more - this woman is nuts!

If she doesn't show up with the combo to the baby shower next weekend, part of me does want my friends to bring out the combo they purchased... on one hand this would be a great f'you to MIL, on the other it would give MIL more to talk and complain about. Then again she wouldn't have to spend so much money, but then again it is our money anyway.

I don't know if they have these in the States, or anywhere else for that matter, but this weekend we were in Macau and as we were walking past a Starbucks there was a poster for Salted Caramel Lattes... DH literally draggd me away while DD was giggling at "silly mama."

I might be preggo, but a Grand Marnier souffle made correctly is the best shit on EARTH. Mmmm.... Now I might have to go to the French Bistro down the street and get one!

What is all of this craziness y'all are talking about making your own whipped cream?? Every time I have made it, it tastes JUST like the store stuff. I mean - EXACTLY like it. What am I doing wrong?

Tommysmommi - there is local candy store here that make pralines... I have only tried to make them twice and they were nowhere NEAR as good... When you walk in the store they give you warm ones off the marble slab... oh so very good.

Op, cool whip tastes NOTHING like whipped cream. Buy the pint of whipping cream not heavy cream. Add only a little sugar. You can also add a touch of cocoa if it goes with what you're putting it on. Yum.

I just made salted caramels last night, but they just don't top the Bequet Caramels sold in bulk at our local natural food store. Seriously, you should track them down and try them. They have all sorts of varieties: Sea Salt, Cinnamon Swirl, Chipotle, Chocolate, Green Apple, etc. Cinnamon Swirl is my favorite, but DH loves the Chipotle ones.